Don't take this personally, guys. I like you, but I hate this thread for obvious reasons. Yet I cannot stay away.
In a way she's screwing with us, too. I can't wait until this project is over and hopefully I don't need to hear about this greedy scumbag ever again.
Don't take this personally, guys. I like you, but I hate this thread for obvious reasons. Yet I cannot stay away.
In a way she's screwing with us, too. I can't wait until this project is over and hopefully I don't need to hear about this greedy scumbag ever again.
I'm starting to think that a large amount of this money is just from friends of hers and such, or even dummy accounts, like she was trying to "prime the pump" so to speak.Do you really think this woman is going to stay away from Kickstarter from now on? Now that's she's been so heavily rewarded for so little effort?
I'm starting to think that a large amount of this money is just from friends of hers and such, or even dummy accounts, like she was trying to "prime the pump" so to speak.
Not sure if this has been discovered yet, but her happy family update photo is obviously from the same time period as the photo in her avatar. And I quote:
"Zach, Chase & Mackenzie in Boston last year."
"Thanks backers!" XD
Susan Wilson said:OK, there is enough hate in the world. This project is, was and remains about a 9 year old making her first RPG (and, like it or not, proving her brothers wrong). The project was $829 and listed under small projects so clearly there was no grand plan. It may be semantics and I'll readily admit I didn't over think the project and in hindsight wish I'd created a different video and certainly not tweeted 23 of my followers or the 3 celebrities I tweeted. As I've said a number of times, this was a project with my daughter and I was thinking like a mom (which by definition means it's biased and is bound to make mistakes). The video was a template from Powtoon.com and Kenzie and I just played with it and fit her project into the template for free b/c that's the way the site works. It's cool. You should check it out.
Again, it may be semantics, but the Kickstarter campaign was always positioned as an RPG Project w/the end result being an RPG made by a 9 year old. The details were vague b/c she intended to make the game at RPG camp and supporters backed that dream. They didn't care about the story or what the game was about (which is interesting and important to note b/c they backed this project simply because they wanted to support Mackenzie and that's not something anyone can ever take away from her story). So much so, that they donated far beyond her goal. THAT IS PROOF THAT WE ARE GOOD. This can be good. Good is a choice.
Does Kenzie need $829 to make her first RPG? No. And I'm sure it was frustrating to some individuals that saw it happening with a lot more experience that had an actual vision for a game. Mackenzie was able to do (without even trying) what they wish they could. I get that and I understand it might not seem fair - which is why I immediately reached out to quell the allegations and try to get the dissenters on board to make this good for everyone b/c again Kenzie had zero experience AND NEEDED HELP and could afford some help given the backers.
Not one cent has been received by my family but we've worked hard along with several others to get started making the backers proud and in truth, to also quiet the dissenters b/c some even questioned if anything would be done. From nothing, PinkieSquare.com is coming together and, it too can be great if only the people that should be using it and supporting it believe it's good - AND THAT'S PRIMARILY the dissenters. You guys/girls should be running pinkiesquare and driving it to be an open playground for kids and you to make games with them. I don't know how to do that, but you do. Will it kill you to put your distrust aside and just try? You don't need to pledge a cent to get involved or make a difference.
I know some people don't trust me and think I had evil intentions and manipulated KS, but can we STOP? I've repeatedly answered questions absurd allegations but they keep coming. I've been accused of not having kids, making Mackenzie up and even lying about my boys' age. Once I proved I was telling the truth (which seemed ridiculous to me), more weird and crazy allegations arose. If in answering any questions, I offended anyone, it wasn't intentional. I have not ever had that much hate aimed squarely at me and my family and as a parent I can tell you it's terrifying - specifically b/c my 9 year old was specifically targeted. Then of course I'm accused of putting her out there to be targeted but a number of children have done projects without this type of reaction.
I'm working with several kids, adults, producers, developers, artists, writers, teachers and programmers to make this a reality and coordinate things so everyone is happy b/c this can still be good and help so many kids and indie gamers, developers, artists and musicians all over the world.
Here's an example of two 16 year old artists working together to bring a troll to life (Zach (my son) drew the original sketch and another 16 year old brought it to life (http://i.imgur.com/2MMxlT1.png). Zach just saw it and said, "That's exactly how I saw it in my head." As a parent, that's cool to hear and who knows what that will mean for Zach? And who knows what that will mean for the 16 year old girl who took his pencil sketch and brought it to life within RPG Maker?
And that's my point. I say, "I don't know" a lot because I don't know. And that shouldn't be attacked. It's not a sign of something scammy going on. It's an SOS for help and a clear sign I don't want to limit the potential of whatever is supposed to come out of this odd series of events (and I don't mean for me personally). It's the pure potential of things that I love about being an entrepreneur. It means I can try ideas and fail (which many have clearly seen). That doesn't make me a horrible person or a scammer (b/c I didn't make a cent). It makes me a "tryer."
And so with 3 days left, what can we do to help more kids, artists, gamers, producers, etc.? What's done is done and we can all move forward together if you're interested. Just ping me at swilson@pinkiesquare.com and see for yourself. A number of others have and as a result, Rain is busy writing a small RPG book (likely in digital/POD) roughly 64 pages under the OGL to develop Kenzie's world into a roleplaying setting, with a 32 page 'toolkit' aimed at helping younger people develop their own stories and settings.
I'll do an official update but I wanted to reach out in the comments section to this group first b/c it's clear you care and I want you to know I care and hear what you're saying. I've dealt with 3 weeks of hate on a daily basis and whether or not I brought it on myself is not the point. What matters now is what we want the legacy of this project to be because it should be clear by now given what's been created with zero money that the end result will be far greater than what $23K could have bought.
Let's be a case study in GOOD. Even the game is about good. It's a twist and turn on real events but in the end, all of the characters are good and have good intentions. Strangers helping strangers is what makes this something special and I hope those that still have doubts put them aside and see what they can do to participate because we can create something that empowers the next generation. Won't you at least try?
Shusan Wilson said:Does Kenzie need $829 to make her first RPG? No.
Shusan Wilson said:the Kickstarter campaign was always positioned as an RPG Project
...
Not one cent has been received by my family but we've worked hard along with several others to get started making the backers proud and in truth, to also quiet the dissenters b/c some even questioned if anything would be done. From nothing, PinkieSquare.com is coming together
Shusan Wilson said:...specifically b/c my 9 year old was specifically targeted...
Shusan Wilson said:because it should be clear by now given what's been created with zero money that the end result will be far greater than what $23K could have bought
Susan's argument is a logical fallacy, as the fact that people back her project doesn't have any relation to the legitimacy of it.Seems Susan has posted a new wall of text. Her reasoning is... well, LOL. She says that backers basically provided a lot of money and that proves she is legit. I am sure she is at the point she believes even what she says.
Also.. " I've repeatedly answered questions absurd allegations but they keep coming." LOL. The only thing I think she even danced around answering was the iPhone case one. And even then she said she had a CAD designer help design that one. Not that I buy that to be honest.
RC said:@Susan
Just wanted to make a correction - Zach (16) did the original art and Misha (13) finished it. The ages were just mixed up, that's all. (To all those unsure of who Misha is, she is my daughter and one of the people who will be working on this project)
@Doubters
I have advised Susan to avoid replying in comments, but I believe she is very passionate about her daughter's project and can't help but reply. As a parent, I do understand that.
.
Just so you know, my daughters and I will be helping Makenzie with her game. Not, only will it be a great opportunity for both kids, it will aid them greatly aid them. It's strange I was the verbal few that would lay out my concerns in a manner of understanding, I try to avoid just trolling. Now, my family and I are friends with Susan's family and working together in a game. --- Trust me I was a huge skeptic. Now that I am know Susan and am aware of her activities. There is no way she is running of with the money. ---- Instead she is a mother who was given a gift, and in return wants to aid kids and people, in a way that is accordance to Kickstarter rules.
@People Defending Susan
Just remember guys, I know some of you want to help Susan but 'passive aggression' is also a bad thing. Biggest help would disscuss about the project and how it might help those around them... instead of replying to those who has no faith on the project.
Got to go. ^^;
._. no words
http://themommygamers.com/2013/04/episode-34-dont-feed-the-trolls/
You can listen to her in her own words. KEEP UP!
"
Marcia Webb 19 minutes ago
Susan, we absolutely LOVED talking with you and your family on the latest episode of The Mommy Gamers podcast. I hope that people will listen and be able to hear what an amazingly warm person you are and realize that you are just a good parent trying to do something neat with your daughter. People can check out the live interview with Susan Wilson at http://themommygamers.com/2013/04/episode-34-dont-feed-the-trolls/ and yes that is her adorable daughter, Kenzie doing the intro We wish you and your family all the best!"
myself on The Mommy Gamers said:What I like about this interview is that the interviewer finds it such an inspiring story as it makes her 13yo daughter want to make a game herself. It is an inspiring story, and Im glad her daughter got inspired. These stories should be told to inspire people all over the world and the internet is a great medium for them.
What I find baffling though it that at the same time the interviewer apparently forgets that she doesnt even consider starting a Kickstarter project over her daughter being inspired herself, let alone asking for other peoples money even if she doesnt need it AT ALL. The latter is exactly what Susan Wilson did. Susan Wilson never needed the $829 she initially wanted to raise. There were plenty of other ways to tell this story about a girl that wants to make her first RPG. The internet has so many different platforms. It couldve been an exclusive huge story on The Mommy Gamers. And inspire all its readers and their sons and daughters. Yet for some reason the best way Susan Wilson could come up with was to ask other people for money she never needed
Don't lie to us you closet affiliate of Susan's, I'm sure all they deleted is even more praise!Look what they made of my comment:
What a joke!
OMG. Its like they don't even put enough effort into it. I bet they aren't even home and are surfing the world with the prospective money.
Latest comment post, 3 hour ago:
I'm so lost here. Is she admitting she has no clue wtf she is doing?
3 days left...
Look what they made of my comment:
What a joke!
David 1 minute ago
Susan, for the sake of clarity and answering questions like you've admitted you wish to do in the sake of truth, can you answer the following questions if at all possible?
Most of this is quoting another individual who has expressed concern at your latest comment
1. "Does Kenzie need $829 to make her first RPG? No."
- Then why did you start a kickstarter?
2. "the Kickstarter campaign was always positioned as an RPG Project
...
Not one cent has been received by my family but we've worked hard along with several others to get started making the backers proud and in truth, to also quiet the dissenters b/c some even questioned if anything would be done. From nothing, PinkieSquare.com is coming together"
- So it's about making an RPG, but you make your backers proud with some random website?
3. "...specifically b/c my 9 year old was specifically targeted..."
- Did anyone actually do that? I think it was mostly about yourself being shady.
4. "because it should be clear by now given what's been created with zero money that the end result will be far greater than what $23K could have bought"
- So now we should thank yourself for creating that website nobody asked for at your own expense? And how is the end result going to be greater than what $23K could have bought? $6K's already going to her trip to Massachussetts...
5. If the goals of the kickstarter were to raise the money for her to go to camp, and not only is she now going to various gaming training and such all expense paid, AND shes getting a laptop which was another thing on the agenda, why haven't you cancelled this kickstarter? Since all the aims and objectives of this kickstarter have already been fulfilled, you no longer require $23,457 of peoples money, correct?
This podcast like everything else regarding this story was completely informed.
The criticism against her is because of girl power or how much money she raised or the video or sexism etc.
Don't lie to us you closet affiliate of Susan's, I'm sure all they deleted is even more praise!
myself again said:Dear Ladies,
while I understand and respect your prerogative to edit any comments posted on the site, the way my comment on Episode 34 was "moderated" is downright abusive. It does no longer reflect my original message. So please either edit it so that it does or completely remove it.
My comment was balanced, pointing out both the good and the bad sides of the story. I didn't say anything that was incorrect: the $829 were never needed for the original project (Susan Wilson said so herself) and were possibly taken away from other kid's or women's projects that actually needed it instead.
As for the story itself: it is inspiring and The Mommy Gamers would've been an excellent place to bring it to exclusively. Because it's what this site is all about.
It was Susan Wilson's decision however to try and make a buck out of it, and take it to Kickstarter. You could argue that she was "just teaching her little girl and their brothers a lesson in life or something". But in all honesty, I think we all know that Kickstarter is about raising money, no more and no less. Kickstarter's guidelines even state that it's not meant for "fund my life" projects, which teaching your kids a lesson clearly is. So let's assume it wasn't about the latter, but plain and simple about raising money.
Also, in your podcast Susan Wilson clearly showed how she's an entrepeneur, trying even to get the interviewer to get "millions" out of the podcast. Now, I have nothing against entrepeneurship. It's what makes the economy tick. The deal with Kickstarter however is that you put your project out there to the public, open for scrutiny. You can't just dismiss every concern people have about it as "trolling". You're asking people for their hard earned cash, so it's only fair to tell them what it's for. Of course there were some "trolls", some people threatened her and stuff, which is ridiculous. But there were just as many people who want to know where all the money is going to. Up until now, a mere three days before the ending of the project, Susan Wilson still hasn't properly addressed those concerns. According to the budget she proposed, $2,500 is going to a new laptop. But she's getting a free high end laptop from Dell. Also, according to the budget $6,000 is for a week long trip of her and McKenzie to MIT. Six thousand dollars for a week? Really? I think those are legitimate concerns. Also McKenzie is (rather unfortunately) no longer going to that camp she needed $829 for in the first place. So that's another black hole in the budget. Now, I know you are big supporters of the PinkieSquare.com initiative. Well, that site is live already, right now. Without a dime of the budget used for it. So is the money going towards the maintenance of that site? Does she really need $23k for that? Who knows? What will the money be used for? Is it really considered "trolling" nowadays to want to know those things? Seriously? If you put your project out there and ask people to fund it, you should be prepared to answer some serious questions as well. (Of course the threats she got are not something anyone should ever be prepared for. But they are also no excuse not to answer legitimate concerns.)
So please either edit my comment so that it reflects my opinion properly, or just remove it completely.
Thank you,
foobarry81
I just confirmed David, Alex and Vernano each pledged their $1 to comment, said something nasty & immediately canceled their pledges. These 3 along with Corey & others have spent weeks on a neogaf forum bitching about me & this campaign.
And it's gone!
Creator Susan Wilson about 1 hour ago
I just confirmed David, Alex and Vernano each pledged their $1 to comment, said something nasty & immediately canceled their pledges. These 3 along with Corey & others have spent weeks on a neogaf forum bitching about me & this campaign.
And the irony is their posts clearly document their motivation, pettiness, frustration and ultimate conspiracy to destroy a 9 year old's RPG campaign (even talking about creating an RPG that's the opposite story line of Mackenzie's and releasing it before hers). I don't want to move backward, but when the of this campaign is told that the truth (the real truth - which I've always been a fan of) is fully told (there are >74 pages of comments over the past few weeks but the most recent are here: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php….
Why confront legitimate criticism when you can obfuscate, deflect and project?Censorship, ladies and gents. When someone says something you know is true, or even asks you questions, you can silence his voice. Not only that,
I think it's quite clear we talked about making an RPG not to hurt the child's game, but to communicate the truth about Susan's fraudulent posturing and endless contradictions, among other things.
Damn, Kickstarter. We thought your hands were tied in avoiding bad PR from canceling Susan's campaign. It almost seems they have no problem with her evolving her project from a blatant $829 violation of their ToS to a $25000 fundraising con for something that, by her definition, only required $829 to begin with.
David asked Susan why she needed $24000 more than the initial goal. She deleted his message. We are in the bizarro world.
Susan keeps talking about the truth. What is the truth? Has she seen the OP of this thread? Has she presented any defense other than calling people trolls/naysayers, then feeding her backers some bullshit about how she cares about the truth? Does she really get to take that shortcut of logical fallacy and inherently flawed self-affirming rationalizing?
Not only that,
I think it's quite clear we talked about making an RPG not to hurt the child's game, but to communicate the truth about Susan's fraudulent posturing and endless contradictions, among other things.
I don't want to move backward, but when the of this campaign is told that the truth (the real truth - which I've always been a fan of) is fully told
Censorship, ladies and gents. When someone says something you know is true, or even asks you questions, you can silence his voice. Not only that,
I think it's quite clear we talked about making an RPG not to hurt the child's game, but to communicate the truth about Susan's fraudulent posturing and endless contradictions, among other things.
Damn, Kickstarter. We thought your hands were tied in avoiding bad PR from canceling Susan's campaign. It almost seems they have no problem with her evolving her project from a blatant $829 violation of their ToS to a $25000 fundraising con for something that, by her definition, only required $829 to begin with.
David asked Susan why she needed $24000 more than the initial goal. She deleted his message. We are in the bizarro world.
Susan keeps talking about the truth. What is the truth? Has she seen the OP of this thread? Has she presented any defense other than calling people trolls/naysayers, then feeding her backers some bullshit about how she cares about the truth? Does she really get to take that shortcut of logical fallacy and inherently flawed self-affirming rationalizing?
Susan Wilson is the bomb diggity. Are you reading this Susan? You're awesome!
Remember, basic rule of this scam:
Deflect criticism crying misogyny or "they are attacking my child", NEVER EVER address the valid concerns that have been raised over, and over again.
Worked so far, and will keep working.
Susan Wilson: Some NeoGAF user just threatened me with a bomb! These disgusting naysayers just keep finding new lows. Why do they hate children, women and the citizens of Boston?Susan Wilson is the bomb diggity. Are you reading this Susan? You're awesome!
On the other hand, it only worked so well. The campaign peaked right away and has barely earned anything once people starting paying it attention.
Susan Wilson: Some NeoGAF user just threatened me with a bomb! These disgusting naysayers just keep finding new lows. Why do they hate children, women and the citizens of Boston?
Remember, basic rule of this scam:
Deflect criticism crying misogyny or "they are attacking my child", NEVER EVER address the valid concerns that have been raised over, and over again.
Worked so far, and will keep working.
Censorship, ladies and gents. When someone says something you know is true, or even asks you questions, you can silence his voice. Not only that,
I think it's quite clear we talked about making an RPG not to hurt the child's game, but to communicate the truth about Susan's fraudulent posturing and endless contradictions, among other things.
Damn, Kickstarter. We thought your hands were tied in avoiding bad PR from canceling Susan's campaign. It almost seems they have no problem with her evolving her project from a blatant $829 violation of their ToS to a $25000 fundraising con for something that, by her definition, only required $829 to begin with.
David asked Susan why she needed $24000 more than the initial goal. She deleted his message. We are in the bizarro world.
Susan keeps talking about the truth. What is the truth? Has she seen the OP of this thread? Has she presented any defense other than calling people trolls/naysayers, then feeding her backers some bullshit about how she cares about the truth? Does she really get to take that shortcut of logical fallacy and inherently flawed self-affirming rationalizing?
The good news is that by showing frustration and using a cuss word, she exposes her lack of real argument or proof that she isn't a con artist. Disagree, Susan? Provide your argument.
Am I famous or did she mean a different Alex? I must know!
(watch her pretend this is a serious post, I'm an attention seeker leeching from her kid, but it's totally ok for her to make money off her)
I dunno why she still dwells on deleted comments. If they were so obviously biased and wrong, why have them removed? Now she can't even point to them for proof, only make shit up. Oh...